If I want to see a modern take on 1986’s Short Circuit, I’ll just watch Wall E again (the definitive “cute robot” story). But where we see progress, Hollywood sees remake potential, which is why they’ve been working on a Short Circuit “reboot” (THAT’S NOT A REAL THING! STOP ACTING LIKE IT’S A REAL THING!) since 2008. The latest news is that the director of Hop and Alvin and the Chipmunks is in negotiations to direct, which should be great, because the first Alvin teaser opened with a chipmunk putting a turd in its mouth (seriously, it did). Can robots fart? Well they can now.

Dimension Films is making a deal with Tim Hill to direct its reboot of Short Circuit, the 1986 film about an experimental robot manufactured to be a weapon until a lightning strike fills it with intelligence. It runs away and befriends a fractured family, the military in hot pursuit. Hill directed the Illumination pic Hop and Fox’s Alvin and the Chipmunks. Dimension optioned the remake rights in 2009, originally signing Paul Blart: Mall Cop helmer Steve Carr and screenwriter Dan Milano. The project has languished and Hill is being brought in to supervise a new script and get the iconic robot Johnny 5 moving. [Deadline]

Join The Discussion

"Oh Hell Naw! Short Circuit Reboot to be Directed by Alvin & the Chipmunks Guy"

08.05.11 at 2:12 pm

Watanabex

will they bring back fisher stevens? or will they just have Jay Baruchel play the geek who invents johnny 5 and can’t get laid?

08.05.11 at 2:12 pm

Erswi

About this whole reboot thing… can we get Megan Fox to play the Ally Sheedy part? And also make Johnny 5 an intelligent and autonomous f*cksaw? Because I would totally pay to watch that movie.

Guttenberg can do a cameo as the guy at Home Depot that sells her the saw. He knows what she’s got planned. He knows.

08.05.11 at 2:14 pm

Mister Mike

Hey, Tim Hill! YOUR MOTHER WAS A SNOWBLOWER!

08.05.11 at 2:16 pm

Jessolido

You’re projecting again, Vince.. come on, ask yourself:

Are you really mad at Guttenberg? Or are you just mad… at Vince?

08.05.11 at 2:19 pm

Jessolido

Sidebar: I like to believe that Steve Guttenberg went off the map for a while to get buff, and submerged back onto the comedy scene he once DOMINATED under a new, lower-profile persona: Blogger/Filmdrunkard Vince Mancini

08.05.11 at 2:24 pm

Dingus

So, are you telling me we’re getting a Squeakuel?

08.05.11 at 2:29 pm

Dingus

was Leni Riefenstahl busy

No, she was free, but she didn’t Reich the original very much.

(*Bow tie spins – tap dance – swift kick in the pants*)

08.05.11 at 2:38 pm

Shop 101

Don’t sleep on that Jay Baruchel, his soft left posturing in 2009’s The Trotsky paved the way for an NDP sweep of Quebe… oh jeezus, where am I?

08.05.11 at 2:45 pm

dickimaa

GUYS HE’S A ROBOT AND IT’S A REBOOT LOL

08.05.11 at 2:45 pm

Ragnarok

Why all the love for Johnny 5? When’s D.A.R.Y.L. going to get some sweet, sweet reboot lovin’?

D.A.R.Y.L. is actually better than Short Circuit, because as a kid it involved two of the coolest things I could think of at 10 years old.. a) being so good at racing games that they went 10x the normal speed, and b) stealing and flying an SR-71 Blackbird

08.05.11 at 3:17 pm

Alcoholics Gratuitous

Why, why is Hollywood ruining my childhood movies!?

Some day, my kid is going to be like “Let’s watch Short Circuit,” and I’ll be all pumped. He/she will put on the new version – and that will be the first time I hit my child closed fisted.

08.06.11 at 11:10 pm

Zombie Jesus X

I envision Michael Bay directing this with Johnny 5 taking on the flying saucers from “Batteries Not Included”; then everyone gets punked by the UFO from “Flight of the Navigator”. And the Navigator is voiced by Will Smith. Sassy black spaceship, y’all!